Hinge structure for electric fan and the like



Oct. 4, 1955 w. M. COPELAND 2,719,739

HINGE STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRIC FAN AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 5, 1952 5 uh M Imventor: Wiliiam Mcopeland, b am W HINGE STRUCTURE FOR ELECTRIC FAN AND THE. LIKE William M. Copeland, Stratford, Conn., nssignor to Can eral Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application August 5, 1952, Serial No. 302,776 2 Claims. (Cl. 287-14) The present invention relates to hinge structures and the like, and while it may find'application in other devices, it is particularly well adapted to meet the peculiar requirements met with in hinging an electric fan body to a fan base so that the body may be adjusted with respect to the base to adapt the fan for either desk or wall support, a thing which requires that the fan body be adjusted with respect to the base by an angle of 90. At the same time it is desirable that in either position of adjustment, the body be angularly adjustable with respect to the base over a limited arc. Accordingly, it is this application of my invention which I have elected to specifically illustrate and describe.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved hinge construction of the type referred to which is simple in structure, readily adjustable, and provides a hardened surface against which the holding screw for the hinge takes, and for a consideration of what I believe to be novel and my invention, attention is directed to the following specification and to the claims appended thereto.

According to the invention, the body and base members are provided one with a pivot head having fiat sides and the other with a bifurcation which fits over the head and is connected to it by a transversely extending pivot pin, there being provided between one leg of the bifurcation and the head, a flat bearing plate of a material harder than the material of the head against which takes the inner end of a set screw for holding the members in adjusted position, the plate having one or more prongs positioned in an opening or openings in the head to hold the plate from turning and the inner end of the set screw having a lug which enters an arcuate slot in the plate to limit the adjustment of the members relatively to each other.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an electric fan wherein the body and base are pivotally connected by a hinged structure embodying the invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of parts of the hinge structure.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the body member of an electric fan, the same comprising the motor 2, fan blades 3 and guard 4, and 5 indicates the base. This structure is to be taken as typical of any suitable electric fan structure. My invention has to do with improved means for hinging the body and base members to each other.

Base member 5 is provided with a head 6 having opposed flat side surfaces 7 and body member 1 is provided with a post 8 having a bifurcation 9, the legs of which fit over head 6, the inner sides of the legs presenting flat surfaces to the head side surfaces 7. The bifurcation and head are connected together by a pivot pin 10 which extends through one bifurcation leg and the head and threads into a tapped opening in the other bifurcation leg.

Positioned between inner surface of the adjacent bifurcation leg is a bearing one surface 7 of head 6 and the the opening until lug 15 is I 2,719,739 Patented Oct. 4, 1955 2 plate 11 formed from a suitable hard metal. It may be a metal harder than that of. head 7. Plate 11 is provided 'the lug being of a length less than the thickness of the plate so that it .doesnot contact head 6 when screw 14 is turned down tight. In electric'fans of this type, twoprimary adjustments are desirable, one for deskmounting wherein the supporting .post 8 and base are in vertical alignment as shownin Fig. 1, and the other for wall mounting wherein the base extends at an angle ofto the post. And when in either of the two primary adjusted positions, it is desirable that limited adjustment be provided so that the fan body may be tilted somewhat in either direction. Accordingly, there are provided in plate 11 two arcuate slots 16 and 17, the transverse centers of which are spaced approximately 90 apart, the end of the set screw being positioned in slot 16 when the fan body is positioned with respect to the base as shown in Fig. l, and being positioned in slot 17 when the body is turned on base 2 through an angle of 90 from that shown in Fig. 1, for wall mounting. When in either position the body may be tilted in either direction by an amount represented by the angular length of the slots, the slots being of a length to permit of the desired amount of adjustment. In the case of slot 16, the length is such that the body cannot be tilted downward until the guard strikes the base and in the case of slot 17 the length is such that the body cannot be tilted upward until the guard strikes the wall onwhich the fan is hung. Preferably the amount is such that when post 8 is in vertical alignment with base 5 as shown in Fig. 1, lug 15 will be midway between the ends of slots 16 so that by loosening set screw 14 slightly the body may be tilted either up or down on the base, the maximum amount being limited by the ends of the slot. In making this adjustment, it is not necessary to loosen the set screw until lug 15 leaves slot 16. This is a desirable feature as it serves to prevent the fan body from being accidentally permitted to drop down until the fan guard strikes the base or of being tilted over to the other side of the base. The adjustment is similarly limited when the end of lug 15 is in slot 17.

To adjust the fan body from a position on the base as shown in Fig. 1 to a position on the base adapting the fan for wall mounting, 'set screw 14 is turned out of beyond plate 11 after which the body is turned until the end of screw 14 is brought into line with slot 17 whereupon the screw is turned in to bring lug 15 into slot 17 Bearing plate 11 provides a hard surface against which the set screw clamps, a thing which makes it not material how hard the metal of head 6 may be. As a result, base 5 may be formed of a material which would be unsuited for having the set screw screwed down against it without first hardening the head against which it clamps.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A hinge structure for hinging together the base and body members of an electric fan or the like comprising a head on one of said members having flat sides, a bifurcation on the other member which fits over said head having flat inner surfaces which are presented to the flat sides of said head, a hinge pin which extends through said bifurcation and head for hinging the two members, one on the other, a bearing plate of hard material positioned between one leg of said bifurcation and said head, said head having a hole therein and said plate having a prong which fits into said hole to hole the plate from turning, and a set screw threaded into said one leg of the bifurcation having a flat inner end which takes against said plate for holding the members in adjusted position, said plate being provided with arcuate slots substantially spaced 90 apart and said set screw having on its flat end a. projecting lug which fits into either of said slots to limit the adjustment of said members, said lug being of a length less than the thickness of said plate.

2. A hinge structure for hinging together the base and body members of an electric fan or the like comprising a head on one of said members having fiat sides, a bifurcation on the other member which fits over said head having fiat inner surfaces which are presented to the flat sides of said head, a hinge pin which extends through said bifurcation and head for hinging the two members one to the other, a bearing plate of hard material positioned between one leg of said bifurcation and said head, said head having a hole therein and said plate having a prong which fits References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 239,620 Phillips Apr. 5, 1881 472,282 Werneth Apr. 5, 1892 1,032,898 Hane July 16, 1912 15 1,135,093 Barnes Apr. 13, 1915 1,422,502 Wark July 11, 1922 1,476,708 Gilbert Dec. 11, 1923 1,569,089 Juneau Jan. 12, 1926 2,231,654 Bloomberg Feb. 11, 1941 2,382,679 Tolman Aug. 14, 1945 

